Tsuzuki's demons
by EroseN
Summary: It has been a few weeks since Hisoka rescued Tsuzuki from Muraki, but now they are back at work and Tsuzuki is still haunted by his past. Can Hisoka save Tsuzuki from himself in time, or will Tsuzuki give into his dark fantasies?
1. Chapter 1

Sorry, people. Just some spacing and grammar updates. Feel free to review though... (hint hint) I don't know if anyone else read my other story, but the characters are a bit different in this one. Please enjoy!

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"Kurosaki, may I speak with you?" Tatsumi was standing next to the desk that Hisoka normally shared with Tsuzuki, who was probably looking for something to snack on right about now.

Hisoka nodded and stood up to follow Tatsumi back to his office. It had been just over two weeks since the disaster Muraki had caused with Tsuzuki and things were finally starting to get back to normal. Tsuzuki had been a little quieter than normal, but that was to be expected after all that had happened. Hisoka hoped that he would be his normal happy self soon. Work was just no fun without Tsuzuki, no matter how annoying he got. Tatsumi closed the door that separated his room from the rest of the office.

"Sit down, please. I want to talk to you about Tsuzuki." Tatsumi sat down across from Hisoka. "I'm sure you've noticed Tsuzuki has been acting a little strange lately. He is hiding it well, but I'm still worried."

Hisoka listened to Tatsumi, wondering what he was supposed to do to help. "I called you in here because there is a new case in your area. I need you to keep an eye on Tsuzuki for me." Hisoka nodded. He normally watched Tsuzuki on assignments anyways to keep the budget down. It wouldn't be too hard to stick with him. He wasn't exactly the stealthiest person in the world.

"All right. I just wanted to give you a heads up." Hisoka nodded and stood up, bowing to Tatsumi on his way out the door. So they were being given a new case. Hisoka sat, waiting for Tsuzuki to come back so they could get their assignment.

"Finally! What took you so long, Tsuzuki?" Hisoka had given up on his work and opened a book from the library when his partner finally showed his face. Tsuzuki stood there spaced out for a second before shaking his head and smiling.

"Sorry! There was a really yummy all you can eat cake sale and I just couldn't pass it up. Then I fell asleep when I went back to my apartment to change shirts." Tsuzuki looked more tired than when he had come in this morning. Hisoka wondered if he was having trouble sleeping or something.

"Come on, the chief wants to see everyone in the briefing room." Hisoka stood up and Tsuzuki followed him into the cold white room in the back.

They entered and had a file shoved at the two of them before being seated at the table.

"This case is nothing out of the ordinary for you two, just routine field work. There is a small town near your district where… well, unpleasant things have been happening to the souls there. They cross over to this side twisted and mangled, so I need you two to go investigate. I can send Watari or Tatsumi with you if you want someone to help…" Hisoka was about to open his mouth to accept the help, but noticed Tsuzuki shake his head slightly to the side.

Instead, Hisoka said, "No thanks. We will be in touch, but I think we can handle this on our own." Tatsumi looked a little unconvinced, but let it drop.

"Okay then. Get going as soon as possible. I expect you to leave tomorrow morning, after you finish all of your work for today. I expect you to finish your full hours!" Tatsumi smiled as he said this because loved ordering Tsuzuki around as a joke. The two partners stood up and left the room, Tsuzuki not meeting anyone's eyes on his way out.

"Um, Tsuzuki? Is everything all right? You seem a little down." Hisoka ran after Tsuzuki after work and caught him before he left. Tsuzuki smiled at Hisoka and shook his head. Instead of feeling reassured however, Hisoka got mad.

"Why can't you trust me? This is what happened last time! We're partners right?" Tsuzuki's face fell. _Great._ Hisoka thought to himself. _I wasn't going to bring up what happened last time._ Tsuzuki sat down in the small hallway.

"I just don't want everyone worrying about me. You and Tatsumi are the worst, but everyone else is walking on glass around me and I'm sick of it. I can take care of myself; I'm not some small child." He was shaking by then, and when he looked up, Hisoka saw tears on his cheeks. "I just don't want to cause you all extra trouble." Hisoka laughed. Tsuzuki stood up, wondering what was so funny.

Hisoka saw the affronted look on his partner's face and said, "Well of course you cause us extra trouble. You're Tsuzuki, aren't you?" He reached up to wipe the tears from Tsuzuki's face. "Now don't cry anymore. If you want to convince people you don't need help, stop acting like a little kid."

Tsuzuki was staring at Hisoka with his mouth open, but then ruffled the young blonde's hair and said, "Hey, look who's talking, shorty." Hisoka ducked away. He kept on a happy smile until they got outside and transported to their separate apartments.

When he got home, Hisoka heavily sat on his couch. When Tsuzuki had touched him, emotions had nearly overwhelmed him. He had felt all of Tsuzuki's pain and sadness and knew that he was not nearly as healed as everyone thought. Hisoka didn't know what had happened the three days that Muraki had held Tsuzuki captive, but he could tell that it was still paining Tsuzuki.

Tsuzuki also went home, but was met with a different sight than Hisoka's clean room. Instead, the apartment was a disaster. There were clothes strewn everywhere and stains on the floor from spilled food and drinks.

Tsuzuki had momentarily been put in a better mood from being with Hisoka, but the depression came crashing back down on his at the sight of his apartment. He stumbled to the kitchen and pulled a bottle out of the fridge, popping off the top and clearing a place at the table for him to sit. He was desperately trying to stem the flow of memories that had progressively been getting clearer and clearer with every passing day.

It was a mix of his early childhood that he had thought he locked up and those days spent chained up in front of Muraki. The alcohol helped a little, but Tsuzuki knew that when he closed his eyes and went to sleep, the dark dreams would plague him. The blood of the past and the sins of the present would not let him rest even for a moment. He stood up and looked around for his bag. He grabbed a black duffel and stuffed a change of cleanish clothes along with a sleeping bag (because he never knew what hole Tatsumi would make him stay in) and some basic toiletries. He zipped it up and set it by the door then headed out for another night of trying to escape his demons.


	2. Chapter 2

So, I've realized that my author notes are getting a bit too long... Doesn't say anything about my nonexistent personal life *cough cough*. Thanks toreen212000 for watching my story. Almost got a review that time! Warning for this chapter: contains yaoi. If you don't like it, don't read it. But honestly, it's the 21st century, get your head out of the sand. Have fun!

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own these beautiful characters. So sad!

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Hisoka woke up early the next morning and bustled about the kitchen preparing breakfast for himself. The sun was shining and the cherry trees were blossoming as usual. Today was the day that he finally got to go back out on assignment. It had been getting boring around the office with nothing to do except old paperwork. He neatly packed a bag with a few different shirts and other necessities then stuffed a few books in incase he had extra time for reading.

He looked at his watch and decided to leave a little earlier than they had planned. He was supposed to meet Tsuzuki in front of the office at eight so they could go to the world of the living together. He had about an hour to kill so he decided to walk instead of translocating himself. It was a long walk but he felt he needed the exercise.

He made it to the office with twenty minutes to spare, so he found a bench and sat down with one of the books he had packed. After half an hour, Hisoka looked at his watch and realized Tsuzuki was late. He decided to give it another ten minutes and then go look for him.

Just then Tsuzuki came walking up the path. He hadn't changed clothes from yesterday and he had dark circles under his eyes. His hair was a mess, but he had a smile on his face when he saw Hisoka.

"Sorry I'm late! I slept in too long." Hisoka knew this was a blatant lie, but let it drop for now.

"Come on, let's go before you mess something else up." Hisoka and Tsuzuki left the building grounds for the small town where things had been happening.

"Okay, so Tatsumi said we're staying at a motel just outside of town." Hisoka told Tsuzuki, walking in front and holding a map. He looked back and noticed his partner lagging behind. "Come on, we're almost there. You can sleep when we get there." He walked back and grabbed Tsuzuki's arm, pulling him along.

"Hey! I can walk on my own." Tsuzuki pulled his arm away, grabbed the map, and sped up. _What was going on with him?_ Hisoka followed slowly again, his head down kicking the rocks in front of his feet. They came to a small run down inn and Tsuzuki stopped, rolling up the map.

"Here we are. Come on." They walked in and were greeted by a very nice hostess who showed them to their room. There was only one bed as usual for Tatsumi's cheap ways, so Tsuzuki set up his sleeping bag on the floor. They were still ignoring each other, but Hisoka sat down at the table and opened the file again.

"Okay, so it looks like we need to check out the local hospital. That's where a lot of the souls were last recorded as whole." Hisoka stood up. "Are you coming or not? I don't have all day." Hisoka didn't mean to sound so rude, but Tsuzuki's attitude was really bothering him. Tsuzuki nodded and stood up as well. Hisoka began to exit, but was stopped by Tsuzuki's arm across the door.

"Hisoka, I- I'm sorry. I haven't been getting much sleep lately and, well, you saw how that affects me." Tsuzuki looked down at Hisoka, who was refusing to look at him. He took Hisoka's chin in his hand and forced his eyes up.

"It's fine. But we really do need to get going." He looked up at Tsuzuki's tired face and backed away. "Actually, I have some stuff I need to do here. If you want to lay down for a little bit…" Hisoka trailed off when Tsuzuki shook his head. "Listen, you need sleep. You're barely standing upright so don't feed me any crap about you being fine. I know you!" He was nearly shouting by now.

"Don't treat me like a kid. You're the one who needs looking after. You're only sixteen. That's way too young to be concerned about other people. Stop trying to act so old, it's annoying. Hisoka's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something then shut it, looking hurt. Tsuzuki ignored him and walked out the front door.

Hisoka thought about going after him then gave up. This wasn't getting them anywhere. If he wanted to pass out from exhaustion somewhere on the side of the road, that was his choice. He sat back down at the table and opened the file again, hoping to get some background research done before Tsuzuki got back. He would probably be expected to go shopping for dinner as well. He made a note to himself to shop for food and settled in to read.

Tsuzuki walked around the small town, mentally kicking himself. There had been no reason for him to ridicule Hisoka like that. The young boy had just been trying to help.

The sun was bright and shining right in Tsuzuki's eyes that he couldn't see very far. A figure was walking down a hill between buildings coming in his direction, and at first he thought it might be Hisoka.

When the man's silhouette became clearer however, he realized that it was too tall to be his young partner. After a few more moments trying to get a better look, Tsuzuki froze. He recognized that silvery blonde hair and long white coat.

He turned and tried to walk away, hoping Muraki hadn't seen him. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed Muraki still following him, closer than before. Tsuzuki stopped walking; realizing that running away was useless. Muraki stopped a few feet in front of Tsuzuki. The two men stared at each other for a moment then Muraki spoke.

"Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Tsuzuki. Maybe I should just give you my number so you can call instead of stalking me. Not that I mind having your deep amethyst eyes gazing at me." Tsuzuki shivered. This guy really creeped him out, even more so than before. Muraki stepped closer to Tsuzuki, almost touching him. He reached out a hand and tenderly placed it on Tsuzuki's cheek. "You're not looking so well, love." Tsuzuki stood there for a moment, dazed, and backed away into the shadow of a building.

"Just leave me alone. I don't need any more problems. I already have to deal with you in my dre…" Tsuzuki clapped a hand to his mouth.

"Ah, so you do dream about me, my sweet. Care to tell me what I do in those dreams of yours?" He stepped closer again, backing Tsuzuki against a wall. Tsuzuki shook his head and tried to duck away from Muraki. "Well, in that case I suppose I will have to remind you." And he leaned down to press his lips to Tsuzuki's.

He tried to get away, but with his lack of sleep he was no match for the powerful doctor. He attempted to push Muraki off, but only ended up having his hands restrained above his head. Muraki slipped his tongue into Tsuzuki's warm mouth, teasing and exploring. He felt a cold hand reach down and deftly unbutton his pants. The long slim fingers traced their way below the elastic of his underwear, eliciting a moan from Tsuzuki. He felt himself respond the man's touch and hated himself for it. Every time, Muraki's skilled hands forced a reaction out of him. Then, Muraki stopped.

"Sorry, my love. Time forces us to part once again. I'll be seeing you." He walked away, leaving Tsuzuki to slide trembling down the side of the building and sit on the unforgiving ground. He fixed his clothes but didn't get up. He felt so tired. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to his knees.

He heard footsteps pass in front of him, but then they stopped and came back to stand in front of him. He looked up to see Hisoka standing there with grocery bags in each arm. He still looked a little mad and was scowling.

"See, I knew this was going to happen. I can only do so much background research. Come on, get up." He nudged Tsuzuki with his foot, and when this didn't get a reaction, he moved all the bags to one arm and reached down to pull Tsuzuki up. "Don't be lazy, you can sleep in a few minutes." The two partners stood up, the taller one heavily leaning on the young blonde. No one was around so Hisoka just transported them back to their room. He helped Tsuzuki take off his coat and settled him down in bed. Luckily, their room came with a small kitchen, and Hisoka began to prepare dinner for the two of them.

Tsuzuki began tossing in his sleep and Hisoka looked over. He seemed to be muttering something and his face was flushed. Hisoka leaned in wondering what Tsuzuki was dreaming about. "No- no, please. Muraki!" he shouted the last word and sat up abruptly, nearly smashing into Hisoka who quickly backed away.

He turned his back to the man sweating in the bed and began to dish up his own dinner. He took it and sat at the small table, opening the file again and pretending he didn't already have the whole thing nearly memorized. He heard Tsuzuki get up but refused to look at him. He knew it wasn't Tsuzuki's fault that he was dreaming of Muraki.

He heard Tsuzuki go into the bathroom and start the shower. Hisoka perfectly understood having nightmares about Muraki, but when Tsuzuki had called out Muraki's name, it had not been a look of fear or torture on his face. It had been a look of pure pleasure.


	3. Chapter 3

This was originally supposed to be part of the last chapter, but it didn't fit anywhere smoothly. So think of this as like a bonus mini chapter. My chapters seem to be getting more and more dirty as they progress. Hehe! Dirty mind! That's me!

Disclaimer: What's the point of these? I think the name of this website says it all, but in case you are stupid, I don't own any of this. Thanks!

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Tsuzuki stood in the shower letting the water run over his body. His dream had been directly influenced by his encounter with Muraki that evening. The worst thing was, it hasn't been only a dream. It was a memory dragged up from the depths of his consciousness.

_Tsuzuki was chained up to a wall; handcuffs shackling wrists that had long since lost feeling. His shoulders were aching at the effort of holding himself up. The chains were set to let him almost rest on the ground, but not quite, so instead only his naked calves were on the cold stone floor. His ankles were also locked to the floor, spreading his legs open. A door opened and in walked Muraki, dressed all in white with his silver hair shining carrying a black bag in his left hand. _

_"Ah, you're awake today Mr. Tsuzuki. What a rare surprise for me. How much more… entertaining this will be!" He set the bag down next to Tsuzuki who heard what sounded like the clank of metal when it hit the floor. _

_Muraki leaned down and kissed Tsuzuki, roughly forcing his tongue into the captured man's mouth. Tsuzuki tried once again to free his hands but only succeeded in clanking the chains and pulling himself closer to the monster above him. _

_He felt Muraki's tongue against his own and bit down, hard enough to draw blood. Muraki pulled away and laughed. _

_"You like it rough, my love. I can oblige. How about I get out my playthings?" He bent over and unzipped the bag, rummaging inside until he pulled out a thin sharp knife. "You'll have to forgive me. I know it's not very original but it will have to do for our activities today. I'll make sure to bring more interesting toys tomorrow if you are still lucid." He strode back to stand over Tsuzuki who glared up at him. _

_Muraki lightly pressed the tip of the cold metal to Tsuzuki's chest, sketching a pale design into the skin. He wasn't pressing hard enough to cut yet, only enough to scratch the surface. He traced a swirling design down Tsuzuki's stomach, and dug in the knife right above his navel. Tsuzuki cried out in pain and Muraki pulled out the knife. Tsuzuki felt his wound begin to try to heal itself but Muraki clapped his hands together with glee. _

_"I wonder how much your regenerative powers will take." He got down on his knees and moved closer to Tsuzuki. _

_Setting the knife aside, he leaned in once again and placed his warm mouth on Tsuzuki's neck, sucking on the thick artery pulsing with life, pulling blood to the surface and leaving a mark. He then picked up the knife and opened a shallow cut across Tsuzuki's chest, spilling blood on his white clothing. Tsuzuki moaned. _

_"My, my, Mr. Tsuzuki; is someone here a masochist?" Tsuzuki shook his head but Muraki pressed his knee into the erection that said otherwise. Tsuzuki threw his head back, whether in pleasure or pain it was unknown. Muraki gave a deep sadistic laugh and drew his knife down the center of Tsuzuki's chest and stomach before reaching even lower and making a long shallow cut on Tsuzuki's hardened cock. _

_Tsuzuki began to speak in short breaths. "Ah, please. Muraki!" Muraki leaned in. _

_"What is it that you desire, my love? Say it out loud." Tsuzuki bit his lip but cried out again when Muraki leaned down and licked his cuts._

_ "Please… Let me come!" Muraki obliged, pulling more of Tsuzuki into his mouth, bobbing in and out until Tsuzuki felt himself release. He slumped down, exhausted, ignoring the pain now emanating from all over his body. _

_"That's a good boy." Muraki licked his lips and stood up. "Until tomorrow; I shall come and visit you again." Tsuzuki closed his eyes, full of shame that he had stooped so low as to enjoy Muraki's torture._


	4. Chapter 4

Hm, well, I wasn't sure how this chapter would turn out, but I think it went all right. I've never tried to write dream sequences before, so hopefully these are okay. Thanks to yuna for reviewing, and honestly I have no idea how this is going to turn out, so no spoilers for you!

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own the characters, but I love how we are supposed to put these at the beginning!

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Hisoka heard the shower shut off but didn't get up or move. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with Tsuzuki right now. The door opened and Tsuzuki appeared wrapped in a towel with his hair still dripping wet. He made his way towards his sleeping bag but Hisoka made a noise.

"Uh uh. You sweated in that bed. I don't want to sleep there." Tsuzuki looked like he wanted to argue but instead moped over to his bed and got in it. "Dry off your hair a little bit. If you sleep like that you'll catch a cold." Hisoka picked up his dishes and began to wash them off.

He looked over to see Tsuzuki already asleep. Sometimes that man just infuriated him. It was like nothing he ever said made any difference. _So why do you love him so much?_ Hisoka heard the little voice in the back of his head say. Ignoring this, he continued to clean up the food.

After only a few minutes, Hisoka heard Tsuzuki again. This time, he seemed to be sobbing. Hisoka rushed over and tried to wake him up.

"Tsuzuki! Tsuzuki wake up!" He felt Tsuzuki's forehead and realized he had a fever. Hisoka looked around for a rag and ran it under cold water before placing it on Tsuzuki's brow. Tsuzuki opened his eyes for a moment and, seeing Hisoka, calmed down a little bit. Hisoka stood up with the intention of finding some fever reducing medicine, but felt a hot hand grab his shirt.

"Please, stay here, Hisoka." Tsuzuki sighed his partner's name and closed his eyes again, falling back to sleep. Hisoka smiled and sat back down, taking one of his partner's big hands in his own. He felt Tsuzuki holding tight and laughed at how childlike he seemed. Then Tsuzuki started mumbling something again and Hisoka gasped at the images flowing into his mind.

_Tsuzuki was crouching in a field, surrounded by a group of teenagers maybe a few years older than he was. They were laughing and occasionally darting in to give him a sharp kick. One of the more cruel ones began to close in on the young Tsuzuki, baring his teeth in excitement. He reached down and grabbed Tsuzuki's dark hair, lifting his tear streaked face up towards the stars. _

_"Now, little demon boy. Care to tell us what's wrong with you? Huh? You're not even human, you don't matter one bit." He threw Tsuzuki back on the ground and kicked him again. _

_This time, Tsuzuki stood up. He only reached the other boy's shoulders, but the look in his eyes was cold._

_The other boy took a step back in surprise, but then taunted, "What are you going to do to me? I don't see anyone around here to help you out now." He mocked looking around and while he was distracted, Tsuzuki threw himself at him. _

_The unprepared boy was shoved to the ground, Tsuzuki sitting on his chest and punching him in the face. He felt the delicate nose break and felt warm red blood gush out and cover his hands, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. He hit again and again, even when the boy beneath him stopped fighting back and just lay there, a dead look in his eyes. _

_One of the other boys tried to pull him off, but before he could get a hold on him, Tsuzuki tripped his legs and kicked him in the side. _

_"How do you like how that feels? Huh?" he shouted, continuing to kick the unfortunate new victim. The others in the gang began to back away, but turned and ran when Tsuzuki glared at them. He looked down at the boy in front of him. He was no longer moving, not even making a sound. _

_Tsuzuki walked away, back to his house and let himself into the front door. He walked to the kitchen and saw his mother cooking something. When she spotted him, she dropped the bowl she was stirring and screamed. _

_"You- you monster! Give me Tsuzuki! Where did you take him? I want my real son back!" she ran out of the room, leaving Tsuzuki, still covered in blood, to clean himself up._

Hisoka pulled his hand away in surprise. Tsuzuki opened his eyes again at the sudden movement.

"What's wrong, Hisoka?" Hisoka began to cry. "I- I'm so sorry, Tsuzuki! I saw your dream and it's just so terrible!" He lunged in and hugged Tsuzuki, pulling him close against his chest. Tsuzuki's fever seemed to have disappeared and he smiled at his younger partner's display of affection.

"Do you want to know something, Hisoka? I've had that dream a lot recently, or dreams like it, but tonight, it felt different. It felt like someone was there with me, giving me support and love." Hisoka had stopped crying and let go of his partner.

Trying to save what remained of his frosty attitude, he said, "What, do you need someone to hold your hand while you sleep? Do you need someone to keep your bed warm for you?" He was only teasing, acting like Tsuzuki was a little kid, but his partner smiled up at him.

"Why, are you offering?" Tsuzuki moved over and patted the space next to him, and when Hisoka did nothing, grabbed his arm and pulled him in.

"There, that's better! See, the bed is plenty big for both of us." Hisoka nodded, carefully curling up on his side to avoid touching Tsuzuki. Being in bed together was almost too much. Hisoka could feel Tsuzuki's warm heat radiating against his back and felt that Tsuzuki was content.

After a few moments, Hisoka heard Tsuzuki's light snores start up again and started to relax. Honestly, that man didn't know how much he affected others. Hisoka felt his eyes get heavy and slowly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

When Hisoka woke up the next morning it took him a moment to remember where he was. His first thought was _where am I?_ His second was _whose arm is on top of me?_ He glanced over and saw his sleeping partner and lay there quietly, not wanting to disturb him. He looked peaceful and well rested for the first time in a while. Tsuzuki stirred for a moment, rolling over nearly on top of Hisoka, who jumped and fell out of the bed. Tsuzuki woke up and rubbed his eyes.

"What are you doing down there?" was his first question to Hisoka, who was sitting on the floor. Hisoka growled and stood up.

"Has anyone told you that you're a bed hog?" He turned away and went to take a shower.

After a very quick shower, Hisoka opened the door to the smell of something cooking. He realized the danger of this right away, because the only other person in the room was Tsuzuki, and, well, that man should never be let in a kitchen. Hisoka quickly pulled on his jeans and grabbed a shirt, running into the kitchen while trying to pull it over his still wet head.

"What are you doing?" Hisoka grabbed the pan from Tsuzuki and glared at him again. They weren't exactly getting off to a great start this morning. He spotted what looked like a bowl of raw eggs ready to go in the pan. He looked suspiciously at Tsuzuki.

"What's in these?" Tsuzuki pointed to a recipe he had written down on a piece of paper. It looked like tamagoyaki, but instead of one tablespoon of sugar, Tsuzuki had crossed that out and written four. "What am I supposed to do with this? You used all of the eggs so I can't tone it down. These eggs are not edible for anyone with taste buds!" Tsuzuki's head drooped. Hisoka sighed and decided to cook the eggs anyway, hoping Tsuzuki would eat all of it and they could get lunch later.

After a few moments of Tsuzuki looking over Hisoka's shoulder and saying things like, "Wow, I can never get mine to roll up like that! They always fall apart when I try to add a new layer!" Hisoka dished up a plate of sweet rolled omelet and handed it to Tsuzuki who happily devoured all of it. Hisoka was glad to see he was eating again. He looked much better this morning. Tsuzuki smiled up at his partner from the table, a bit of egg on the side of his mouth. Hisoka took the towel hanging over his shoulder and wiped Tsuzuki's face with it. Tsuzuki made a face but didn't try to get away. After a slightly awkward pause, Hisoka backed away and said, "Come on, let's check out the hospital." Tsuzuki nodded and stood up, following Hisoka and grabbing his coat on the way out the door.

The two of them wandered the streets for a while and after Tsuzuki asked directions from multiple people they finally wound up in front of a large square building with hospital printed in big letters on a sign out front. Hisoka walked right up to the front door and opened it, expecting Tsuzuki to follow, but when he looked back he saw his partner hanging back hesitantly.

"Come on, we should stay together, okay?" Hisoka held the door open and smiled at Tsuzuki encouragingly. He hadn't realized that being in a hospital might bring back bad memories for Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki nodded and walked through the glass doors, Hisoka following him. The waiting room was empty but Hisoka noticed a map in the corner. He walked up to it, Tsuzuki still following behind him, and tried to make sense of it.

"Okay, so it looks like there are two floors below us and five above us. It's pretty small, so it shouldn't take long to look through all of it." Hisoka leaned in closer to the map and traced a route to the nearest staircase. "What do you think, Tsuzuki?" Hisoka turned back to look at his partner, expecting him to be right behind him looking over his shoulder, but instead saw him gazing out of the window.

"Tsuzuki! Have you been listening to anything?" Tsuzuki looked up, startled. Hisoka motioned Tsuzuki over and looked up at him. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. I can investigate on my own today." Tsuzuki didn't even think about it before shaking his head. "No, I'm fine. Let's go. We can actually do this faster if we split up. I'll go down and you go up." Hisoka shook his head. "Really? I can't leave you alone here, are you kidding me?" Tsuzuki frowned. "Come on, Hisoka. Would you stop babying me?" Hisoka turned away again. "Fine." he called over his shoulder. "Do what you want. I'll be upstairs." He exited through some double doors on the side and made his way up to the top floor.

_I can't believe I did it again! I'm supposed to be looking out for him. Why does this always happen when we're together._Hisoka looked around and spotted a nurses station with a couple of people hanging around it drinking coffee. He walked over to them, pasting a happy smile on his face and saying, "Hello! I'm doing a project for school and I was wondering if I could ask you all a few questions." It had been Tsuzuki's idea to say he was still in school, but that didn't mean Hisoka liked it. It was just one other way he felt younger and less mature than his partner. The nurses nodded and smiled back at him. Hisoka started out with a few questions he thought were normal, asking about working conditions and hours then began to ask what he really wanted to know.

"So, just wondering, but are there any ghost stories involved with this hospital? I've heard some pretty good ones around town..." The nurses laughed and one of them pinched Hisoka's cheek saying, "Aw, are you scared? Don't worry, they're just stories." Hisoka had to resist the urge to slap her hand away, but knew she was just being friendly. Another started up. "Well, we do have the resident ghost! Almost every night you can hear people screaming or moaning, but no one can find where it's coming from. All of the patients are accounted for, so we just assumed it was a spirit or something." Hisoka thought this might be closer to what he wanted to find out, and looked at the young woman hopefully, waiting for more. One of the older ladies smirked and said, "Oh, you'll believe anything. But if it helps you get the guy, then..." The girl blushed and glanced at Hisoka who smiled politely but then carefully looked away. Just then the man standing in the back of the group spoke up.

"Stop teasing them. The boy's obviously not interested. He's in love with someone else. Anyway, son," he said, talking to Hisoka, "The sounds come from the basement so if you're going ghost hunting look down there first." The other nurses moaned when Hisoka turned to leave, but they all waved him off and started chatting with each other again. Hisoka heard the old lady ask the man about how he could tell if someone was in love, but Hisoka didn't hear the answer. He was rushing down the stairs to find Tsuzuki, realizing that he had sent his partner to the most dangerous part of the building.

Tsuzuki watched his younger partner storm away from him and frowned. He really liked the kid, but sometimes he just got on Tsuzuki's last nerve. Tsuzuki moped his way to the same stairwell Hisoka had just disappeared up, but instead went down. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be looking for, but decided to go all the way down and make his way back up.

After passing a couple floors, he started to shiver. It was really cold down there. He finally came to the last floor and turned down a brightly lit white hallway. This floor had a completely different feel from the rest of the building. Tsuzuki rubbed his hands together and peeked into one of the rooms. It looked like a typical hospital room, with a bed in the corner and a chair next to it. It was empty, so Tsuzuki moved on, ignoring the other rooms in the hallway that were identical.

He reached the end and pushed open two double doors leading into a cold sterile room with metal walls. Looking closer, he saw that the wall were storage units. Tsuzuki realized that he was in the morgue and started to turn away, knowing he wouldn't find anyone useful to talk to down here. But he noticed a light coming from an office in the back.

He walked over and tried to look in, but there was a screen on the window. He knocked on the door and and heard a vaguely familiar voice say, "Come in." Tsuzuki couldn't tell who the voice belonged to yet, but was starting to feel a little creeeped out.

He opened the door and saw Muraki sitting in a desk chair working on some papers in front of him. Muraki looked up after a few moments and smiled, clapping his hands together in glee.

"Ah, how wonderful! Mr. Tsuzuki, have you come to see me? I'm a very busy man, but for you I can make time." The doctor stayed seated but smiled up at Tsuzuki who was frozen in place.

Tsuzuki shook himself out of his trance and said,"What have you been doing this time? What torture are you putting these poor souls through?"

Muraki still hadn't moved, but he removed his glasses slowly and said, "Torture isn't always that bad, now is it?" He finally stood up, surprising Tsuzuki who backed away, but instead moved to the other side of the small office and opened another door. "Well, are you coming or not?"

Tsuzuki thought about running away then, but pictured Hisoka yelling at him, "Really? You had the chance to find out what he was doing and you ran away?" He slowly peeled himself off of the wall and followed the man in white into a clean room. It had an operating table in the middle and everything you would expect to find in an operating room, but nothing creepy or weird. He saw the shiny silver tools on a tray and made sure to stay very far away from them.

"This is where I do most of my experiments, but as you can see, it's nothing out of the ordinary. Just a curious doctor and his playthings." Muraki lovingly stroked one of the knifes on the tray but didn't pick it up. "Come here, my love. I have something fun for you." He motioned Tsuzuki forward with one long pale finger. Tsuzuki stayed rooted to the spot, unwilling to go anywhere near the other man. "What's wrong? Are you afraid? I promise it won't hurt too much." Muraki smiled and slowly began to walk toward Tsuzuki, continuing to talk in a soothing voice, keeping Tsuzuki pinned to the wall with his gaze. "You see love, I made this especially for you. I wanted to try out this new drug on you and see how your system reacts to it." Muraki took a syringe off of the tray and closed in on Tsuzuki. "Now if you'll just give me your wrist like a good boy, we can just try this out..." Tsuzuki tried to turn away but Muraki had reached him by then and forcefully grabbed his wrist, shoving the needle into his soft skin. Tsuzuki refused to cry out, instead biting his cheek, but he felt reality slowly closing him out. His sight became fuzzy and he stumbled into Muraki, his limbs betraying him.

Everything was cold and dark, he couldn't feel anything. Suddenly he felt something warm around him and realized it was someone's arms embracing him. He grabbed hold of the warmth, desperately pulling it closer. Anything was better than the dark cold blackness. He felt like the only thing keeping him from falling away was the heat from the man behind him. Tsuzuki heard a sound float above him, lazing in the air between them before sinking into Tsuzuki's mind as words.

"Now now, my love. No need to worry. I didn't give you very much for the first trial run. It should wear off in a few hours." The voice paused for a moment, then continued softly, "Amazing! He only lost consciousness for a few minutes." Tsuzuki ignored this because he wasn't sure what it meant. Suddenly another noise penetrated his head, making Tsuzuki jump at the loudness. His memory supplied the fact that it was a door slamming open. He tried to open his eyes but could only make out a hazy shape blocking the light above him.

"Tsuzuki!" Another voice called out, this one sounding farther away but somehow familiar. "What have you done to Tsuzuki?" The voice sounded closer this time, and Tsuzuki shied away from it, into the warmth surrounding him.

"Oh, nothing really. He's just a little sleepy right now. You may take him if you want." Tsuzuki felt the warm support begin to release him and whimpered, holding on with as much strength as he could. He couldn't let his only tether to humanity leave. He felt something trying to lift him away from the warmth and lashed out with his fist, feeling himself connect with something solid. He heard a groan and felt something hit the ground next to him. The warm arms tightened once again around Tsuzuki and he was pressed up against a tightly muscled chest and lifted off of the cold floor he hadn't realized he'd been laying on. As the lull of footsteps carried him deeper into the darkness, he closed his eyes again and peacefully drifted off to sleep.

Hisoka lay on the ground, his head pounding, watching his partner being carried out of the room by the man he hated most in the world. Hisoka had followed Muraki's voice to the back room and walked in to see Tsuzuki passed out in the doctor's arms. Both of them were on the floor and Muraki was speaking softly to Tsuzuki, running his hands through the heavy dark hair of the sleeping man. Hisoka had run over and tried to pull Tsuzuki away from Muraki, but his partner had slammed his fist into the side of Hisoka's head, knocking him down.

Hisoka stood up and looked around, trying to see which way Muraki had gone, but couldn't remember. He chose a door and walked down a hallway, becoming hopelessly lost in only a few moments and came upon a back stairwell. Tsuzuki was gone and Hisoka had no idea where he had been taken. He walked up and outside, the light burning his eyes. He teleported back to the judgement borough to find help.

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Poor Tsuzuki. His breakfast didn't turn out so well. I can totally sympathize with him. My cooking skills are less than stellar. :(


	5. Chapter 5

I just want to say thank you so much to yuna. You are a beautiful person. I would have dropped this story a long time ago without your reviews. Feel free to add input! Thanks. Also to reen212000. Your review was really helpful! I hope I did a better job of spacing things out this time!

Disclaimer:I am currently in the process of adopting these characters, but until this goes through in court, I don't own them. ^-^

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Tsuzuki opened his eyes. He was laying in a large white bed with a thick blanket over him. Sun was streaming through floor length windows into the unfamiliar room. It was clean and held no clues as to where he was. He turned his head slightly to the side, his body still feeling heavy, and spotted Muraki reading a book in an arm chair. Tsuzuki stared at him, still half asleep, and thought that the doctor looked kind of peaceful. His silver hair was falling into his eyes and his glasses were perched on the edge of his nose glinting in the sun.

Tsuzuki tried to sit up, but received a sharp stab of pain to his temples at the movement. Muraki noticed the movement however and set his book down.

"Ah, finally awake now, are we? Let me just do some quick examinations…" Tsuzuki tried to speak, but found his throat dry and his tongue thick. He was unable to make coherent sounds. Muraki pulled out a stethoscope from a bag next to his chair and made his way over to Tsuzuki.

"There is no need to worry, you weren't asleep for very long. It's only been about eight hours." The doctor told Tsuzuki with a smile, pulling back the blanket to reveal Tsuzuki in pajamas he didn't recognize. Tsuzuki couldn't tell if he should be scared because Muraki had changed him or glad that Muraki had taken the time to actually put clothes on him.

"Don't try to move around too much. The drug isn't completely out of your system." Muraki slid the stethoscope under Tsuzuki's shirt, causing him to shiver at the cold touch of metal. "Hm, your heart is beating fast, my love. Is something bothering you?" Muraki breathed into Tsuzuki's ear. "I know, you're worried about what I gave you." That hadn't been the first thing on Tsuzuki's mind. More like, _what the hell am I going to do about this insane person leaning over me?_

Muraki continued speaking, unaware that Tsuzuki wasn't really paying attention. "It's a fascinating new drug I've been developing. You see, it affects different people in different ways. It invades memories and robs people of what they most want. In other words, it abuses the subconscious. In your case, you desire only to feel human. Humans are a mass of connections. They form bonds with each other and feel tied to specific objects and places. You were made to feel alone and hopeless, and you reverted into a childlike state of dependency."

Muraki put his stethoscope away and took out another tool. "Do you know what this is? It's an otoscope. I just want to take a look in your ears real fast." Muraki took Tsuzuki's chin firmly in one hand and turned it to the side, brushing the hair away from his ear before gently sticking the tip of the instrument into Tsuzuki's sensitive ear.

"Anyways," Muraki continued, turning Tsuzuki's head again before continuing. "After I gave you the drug, you passed out for a few minutes. That surprised even me. Most people stay asleep until the drug leaves their system, but you actually were able to experience it while awake. It must have been terrible." Muraki put his otoscope away and sat on the foot of the bed, gazing at Tsuzuki. "For the first hour or so, you slipped in and out of consciousness. At one point, you even attempted a spell, though whether or not it worked I have no idea. Your body is amazing. To protect itself from damage, it shut down and went into a temporary coma. Nothing I did could wake you." Tsuzuki really hoped Muraki hadn't done anything weird to him while he was sleeping.

Once again, Muraki rummaged in his bag. "Just a little more to do now, then we can get on with more interesting things." He pulled out a popsicle stick and a thermometer.

"Okay, open wide, let's see that beautiful tongue of yours." Muraki used the stick to press down on Tsuzuki's tongue, looking down his throat for anything abnormal. "Everything looks fine, Mr. Tsuzuki. Let me check your temperature and we'll be on our way." Tsuzuki shut his mouth, not wanting anything else stuck in there, but Muraki only chuckled.

"It's your choice, love. There are only two places to put this and no way to avoid this, so either open your mouth or turn over." Tsuzuki quickly opened his mouth and closed it on Muraki's command, waiting until the doctor said he could release it.

"Hm, your temperature is a little high, but it should return to normal soon." He stood up and put everything away. "Okay, that's it for now. Why don't I get some clothes laid out for you?" Tsuzuki shrugged and watched Muraki cross the floor over to a suitcase. By now he had guessed that they were in some upscale hotel. "I know it's not what you normally wear, but I think it will do for today." He held up a pair of khaki shorts and a blue button down shirt. Tsuzuki wondered where his other clothes had gone but decided to be glad Muraki wasn't making him wear anything too bad.

"Try moving around a little bit. You will probably have trouble walking for the rest of the day, but if you keep your muscles moving they will heal faster." The doctor brought the clothes over to Tsuzuki, who sat up and attempted to take the pile from him.

"No no, my dear! I can't have you tiring yourself out before our day has begun! I will dress you, not to worry." Tsuzuki closed his eyes, resigned to his fate, expecting to feel the perverted doctor feeling him up, but was pleasantly surprised when Muraki very quickly changed him without doing anything weird. Muraki put his hand behind Tsuzuki's head when he was done and helped him sit up.

"Now, if you just stay like this, I'll be right back." He left the room, leaving Tsuzuki on the bed. Tsuzuki tried to stand up, holding the edge of the bed for support, his legs trembling with the strain on them. The door opened once again and Muraki rushed in, catching Tsuzuki just as his legs gave out, saving him from hitting the floor hard.

"Come now my love, don't strain yourself too much." He picked him up and carried Tsuzuki to a wheelchair outside of their room. He settled Tsuzuki in it and handed him and bottle of water. Tsuzuki gratefully drank it as he was wheeled down the long hallway and into the elevator, finally arriving out front of a very nice hotel. Muraki pushed Tsuzuki along the sidewalk, neither of them talking to each other. Tsuzuki tried to speak again, this time succeeding in getting out words, though they sounded cracked and rough.

"Where are you taking me?" Muraki smiled.

"Oh, I thought we could go to the flower garden today. The roses are in full bloom right now." Tsuzuki frowned, but refused to give Muraki the pleasure of complaining. He was silent for the rest of the day, not responding to anything Muraki said, hoping that if Muraki got bored enough he would let Tsuzuki go.

"Beloved, wake up now. Would you like to go out to eat or go back to the room?" Tsuzuki opened his eyes to the setting sun. He was seated on a hill next to Muraki, the wheelchair parked against a tree.

"You slept for quite a long time again. I think that is your body's way of healing itself." Muraki looked at Tsuzuki, his eyes traveling up and down the shinigami's body. Tsuzuki yawned and stretched, moving his legs around to find they were back to normal, if only a little stiff. Muraki stood up and held out his hand to help Tsuzuki who brushed off the help and stood on his own. He felt a little lightheaded and stumbled as he tried to take his first step away from the doctor. Muraki put his arm around Tsuzuki's waist and helped him over to the wheelchair. Instead of fighting back, Tsuzuki accepted the help. There was something about Muraki's charisma that just made Tsuzuki more docile and accepting. His personality outshined everything around him.

"I know you are eager to be up and moving again, but take it slowly. There is no telling how much damage the drug did to your system." Tsuzuki nodded. His stomach growled and he blushed at the sound.

"Ah, of course. I am so sorry my love. You haven't eaten anything today, have you?" Muraki slowly pushed Tsuzuki down the hill to an Italian restaurant.

Tsuzuki's mouth began to water as the delicious smells wafted through the air to meet him. The two men entered and were seated at a table in the back. Muraki ordered two different kinds of pasta for the two of them to share and then settled his head on his hands to gaze adoringly at Tsuzuki. They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes until the food came out.

Tsuzuki widened his eyes at the mountain of pasta in front of him. He twisted up a big bite on his fork and quickly stuck it in his mouth, not caring how hot it was. He moaned in pleasure as the slightly spicy sauce hit his tongue. Muraki hadn't touched his food yet, but was instead smiling at his love's enthusiasm. What had started out as a simple experiment had turned into much more than that.

"Is it good, beloved? I thought you might like that particular pasta." Tsuzuki nodded, his eyes half closed with ecstasy. He finished chewing and quickly shoved another bite in. Muraki slowly began eating his plate, keeping his eyes trained on the amethyst eyed man. Tsuzuki finished within ten minutes and licked his lips, staring at Muraki's plate. He looked up into Muraki's metallic eyes, watching the doctor slowly eat the food on his plate. "Would you like some, Mr. Tsuzuki? I have plenty." Muraki slid his plate over to Tsuzuki who clapped his hands together in glee before settling down to eat the second plate of pasta. Muraki motioned the waitress over and whispered something into her ear. She nodded and left, Tsuzuki oblivious to everything around him.

After Tsuzuki finished, the waitress brought a tray full of desserts. Tsuzuki had been sitting back contentedly in his seat with his eyes closed, but he sat up quickly when he smelled the sweet sugar.

"Wow! No way! This looks amazing!" Tsuzuki grinned and began eating his way through each small plate, one by one, until everything was gone and Tsuzuki groaned.

"I feel so sleepy now! I could just pass out right now!" Muraki stood up and walked around the back of the table, rolling Tsuzuki out of the restaurant after paying.

Tsuzuki animatedly talked about their dinner, recounting everything he had put in his mouth that night. Muraki chuckled at Tsuzuki's face as he described the last dessert with passion. "It was so delicious! The sugar just melted in your mouth and then you could taste the sweet berries when you got further down." He was still talking when Muraki pushed him into the hotel room and closed the door behind him.

"Here, why don't you try standing now. I can show you around the room. There's another room in the back with a huge television. I was thinking we could watch a movie while we do some physical therapy." Tsuzuki shut up when Muraki offered this and shook his head, trying to decline, but Muraki placed his hands under Tsuzuki's arms and lifted him up. The two of them walked to the back room, Tsuzuki still somewhat resisting.

"All right, love. I'm sorry, but this may hurt a bit." Muraki lifted one of Tsuzuki's legs in the air and pushed down on it.

"Ow! That hurts! Stop!" After half an hour, Tsuzuki had finally had enough. He tried to sit up but Muraki pushed him back down on the couch.

"Fine, we're done. Let me massage them a little bit now. I promise it will make you feel better." Tsuzuki laid back and let Muraki gently rub his calves.

"No, I think that's enough. Wait, that kind of tickles!" Tsuzuki threw his head back and laughed as Muraki began to tickle his feet. Instead of stopping however, Muraki moved his hands up to Tsuzuki's shoulders and continued to massage him. Tsuzuki kept telling himself to push the man off, but the sensations running through his body felt too good. Muraki straddled Tsuzuki and leaned down to lightly kiss him.

"Is this all right, love?" Muraki whispered against Tsuzuki's lips. Tsuzuki didn't answer, but instead threaded his fingers through the silver hair above him. Muraki slowly unbuttoned Tsuzuki's shirt, pausing at each button, causing shivers to run over Tsuzuki's body every time his cold fingers brushed his hot skin.

"We can stop if you want to, darling. I know you're not quite comfortable with me yet..." Muraki trailed off, finally tossing Tsuzuki's shirt to the ground. He started on the button to Tsuzuki's shorts, tracing the outline of his erection before stripping him of the clothing. Tsuzuki reached up and pulled on Muraki's shirt, ripping off the buttons and revealing a pale chiseled chest. _I don't know what I'm doing. Stop it!_ Tsuzuki kept yelling at himself in his head, but every time he halfheartedly tried to push Muraki off of him, the doctor only held him down and continued his exploration of Tsuzuki's body. Muraki slipped out of his remaining clothes, pulling Tsuzuki close to him.

"You are beautiful, beloved." Then Muraki sat up and positioned himself before slamming into Tsuzuki's tight hole, causing the man below him to cry out in pain. Tsuzuki whimpered as Muraki moved slightly. The doctor pulled out a big and once again pounded into his love. Tsuzuki screamed at the stretching of his tight muscles mixed with the pleasure of Muraki hitting his prostate. Tsuzuki rocked his hips forward into Muraki, matching the rhythmic motion of the waves rushing through him. Muraki reached his hand down and grasped Tsuzuki's cock, rubbing up and down, creating an unbearable friction.

"Ah, Muraki! I- I'm going to..." Muraki didn't let him finish his sentence, instead forcing himself inside Tsuzuki one last time before feeling both of them release in sync with each other, Tsuzuki's warm seed spreading out between the two of them and creating a sticky hot mess between them. "Muraki... don't leave me..." Tsuzuki sighed against Muraki's chest, closing his eyes and quickly falling into a deep sleep.

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Okay, so this fic started out as a cute little Tsusoka thing. Like, get the two of them alone in a hotel room and boom, Tsuzuki and Hisoka! But Muraki is just such a fantastic character! I just want to say, ow! I know Tsuzuki kind of enjoys the pain, but that would hurt! He's lucky he has such good healing powers. Yes, so, sorry it took me so long to update, once again. I found myself an editor and she won't let me publish until she's read it a million times! Grrs... oh well. I guess it's good for me. Thanks all!


	6. Chapter 6

Finally, the mystery unfolds as all the characters come together in an epic battle... well, maybe not that dramatic. I love weekends! Especially when I'm alone in the house... I can write as much as I want!

Disclaimer: They're mine! All mine! mwahahaha! ... I wish *dejected slump*

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"Kurosaki, calm down. We'll find him somehow, just take a deep breath. We're all tired here." Tatsumi placed a hand on Hisoka's shoulder, but was shrugged off by the boy who stood up and began walking.

"How can you say that? We have no leads, and who knows what Muraki could be doing to him?" Hisoka kept pacing back and forth in front of Tatsumi and Watari who were sitting at a table calmly drinking tea.

"And you!" Hisoka turned to Watari and shouted, "I thought he was supposed to be your best friend! How can you just sit there like that? Aren't any of your stupid inventions useful?" Watari frowned and opened his mouth, probably to say something rude back to the distressed teen, but Tatsumi touched his arm, effectively shutting him up.

"Listen, Hisoka. I know you're worried about Tsuzuki, but there really is nothing we can do right now. We have Watari's computers scanning all of the video feeds in the world of the living and after you came in last night, I sent out a few different teams to look for him." Tatsumi tried to speak in a soothing voice, hiding his irritation with the single minded boy.

"Then I should be out there looking too! Why did you make me come back?" Hisoka was still yelling and was now leaning over Tatsumi, getting too close for the shadow master's taste.

"I couldn't leave you out there because even you cannot go thirty six hours without sleep and not have any side effects. I'll admit, when I pulled you out, I didn't expect that you would start shouting all over the office. Do you want to be known as the stereotypical melodramatic teenager of the building?" Hisoka glared but stopped shouting. Watari tried to cover up a laugh by taking a sip of his tea.

Suddenly, a loud beeping noise was heard coming from Watari. The scientist jumped and began looking through his many pockets, finally pulling out a small blinking object.

"Ah ha! Let's go! I think we found something!" Everyone stood up and followed Watari down to his lab, all of them crowding around the computer.

"Oh, look here." Watari said, pointing to one of the camera feeds in the corner. It was replaying a scene in front of a fancy Italian restaurant. Two people, one of them in a wheelchair, were leaving.

"Hey, wait! That's Tsuzuki! Why is he in a wheelchair? Why is Muraki pushing him around? Why were they at that restaurant?" Hisoka's voice began to rise again.

"Look, kid. Calm down! We have a location now, so we can narrow the search teams. I assume that Muraki is still somewhat close to there as this scene was only taken a few hours ago."

Hisoka cut him off. "Don't call me kid! I know where he is now, so I'm going to look for him!" He strode out of the lab, leaving Tatsumi and Watari to finish searching.

* * *

Muraki gazed lovingly down at the dozing man in his arms. Though they had been like this for over an hour, Muraki never got bored of holding Tsuzuki. He was, however, slightly uncomfortable on the couch, and so stood up, carrying Tsuzuki to the large white bed in the main room. Tsuzuki's eyes opened slightly, revealing two hazy purple slits.

"How are you, my love." Tsuzuki made a little sound in the back of his throat and Muraki laughed.

"Still a bit sore, hm? Not to worry, I'm sure with a little sleep you'll be completely healed." He leaned down to bestow a light kiss on Tsuzuki's pink lips before setting him lightly on the bed and pulling the covers up to his chin. Muraki went to the bathroom to take a shower, still smiling to himself and whistling under his breath. His love had told him to stay.

Tsuzuki rolled over in bed, thoughts torturing his mind. Images of Muraki's metallic eye peering through silver hair were interspersed with flashes of cold green eyes. He had spoken his deepest fear to Muraki in a moment of weakness, and was now regretting it. He hadn't meant to reveal his inner self, but had been caught up in the moment. He rolled over in the bed, pushing his face into the pillow. Nothing was making sense. His emotions were running rampant, flowing through his body in agonizing waves of regret. He heard the door from the bathroom open but didn't move, holding still and hoping that Muraki would leave him alone. His prayer was not answered however and Muraki made his way over to the bed, pulling back the covers to reveal the back of Tsuzuki's head.

"Come now, darling. Show me your beautiful face. There's no need to hide from me." He sat next to him, running his hand through Tsuzuki's heavy dark hair. Tsuzuki mumbled something into his pillow.

"What's that, love? I can't understand you." Muraki pulled his hand back, waiting for Tsuzuki to repeat his sentence. Tsuzuki turned his head to face Muraki, his dark hair obstructing his view of the doctor.

"Why are you doing this? I don't understand what I mean to you." Tsuzuki felt his eyes begin to tear up and attempted to hide his face once again. Muraki laughed, pulling Tsuzuki into his arms.

"To me, you represent the perfect human form. You know I draw energy from others, and just being around you more than satisfies my thirst. You, in essence, embody everything good from humanity. I know you may not agree with that, but to have such a dark past and turn out like you have, there is nothing more inspiring." Muraki trailed his hand over Tsuzuki's smooth cheek, resting there slightly before once again wrapping both arms around him and pulling the smaller man into his lap. Tsuzuki looked up into Muraki's face.

"Now, don't cry anymore. It doesn't suit you." Tsuzuki sniffled and Muraki wiped away his tears. For a moment, Hisoka's voice invaded Tsuzuki's mind, reminding him of a scene not too different from this one only a few days earlier. But then it was replaced by the feel of Muraki's lips on his forehead.

"Is something still bothering you? You know you can tell me anything." Tsuzuki shook his head and Muraki let it drop. Tsuzuki tried to worm his way out of Muraki's embrace but only ended up facing the man.

"Please let go." Tsuzuki softly said, not meeting Muraki's eyes. The doctor did as he was asked and released Tsuzuki.

"Well, if this is how it is, I suppose you should go back to your old life." Tsuzuki gasped in surprise, trying to make sense of what Muraki had just offered.

"I… I can go back? You're letting me go?" Muraki nodded and smiled.

"If you're not happy with me, I can't force you to stay against your will. It would completely defeat my purpose in bringing you here." Tsuzuki tested his freedom by getting out of bed and standing on the other side.

When Muraki didn't move, Tsuzuki said, "Well, if you're being serious, then I'm going to take a shower and be on my way. Muraki nodded sadly and watched his love leave his sight. This was actually going very well. Seeing Tsuzuki's indecision made Muraki certain that his goal was guaranteed. But for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was losing something here. His reasons for keeping Tsuzuki had never been clear to anyone, let alone the doctor himself, but something about the purple eyed man just drew him in, unable to resist. Muraki sighed. He had originally planned to test more of his drugs on Tsuzuki, finding him the perfect test subject, but then had realized that the judgment borough would eventually find him and get in his way. The only course of action to prevent that happening, would be to destroy the ministry from the inside, beginning with its top shinigami. Muraki stood up and walked over to the bathroom. Tsuzuki, the idiot that he was, had forgotten to lock the door, so Muraki simply barged in without knocking, catching Tsuzuki in the middle of his very long shower.

"Sorry, love, for interrupting. I just thought you might need help cleaning your back. Your arms could still get tired very easily."

He was about to open the glass door to the shower when Tsuzuki told him very firmly, "No. I don't need any more help from you. I'm fine." Tsuzuki had expected Muraki to get mad, possible break things, but the last thing he expected was for him to laugh and push open the door.

"Oh, you delight me, darling. I am going to miss you." He stepped into the shower, dropping his long coat outside, but otherwise fully clothed. The hot water steamed as it hit his cold body, soaking him instantly and causing his clothes to cling tightly to his body.

"I do enjoy when you show your assertive side. I will live for the day when it is you pushing me down, not the other way around." Muraki pressed Tsuzuki up against one of the shower walls. There hadn't been much space to begin with, but with two people it was positively tiny.

"No, stop. I thought you said I was free now." Tsuzuki turned his head to the side, looking away.

"Oh, you are. I think you could get away if you wanted to. I know how strong you really are and this is not it. I thought I should give you a… going away present." Muraki pressed his knee in between Tsuzuki's legs and slowly leaned down to kiss away the tears that had started falling down the side of his face. Muraki had expected more of a fight, but felt Tsuzuki give up and slump forward into his arms. Both of them soaking wet, neither of them speaking , Muraki lowered Tsuzuki down to the floor of the shower, leaning over him to shield his love from the hard drops of water descending from above.

"There now, it's not so bad now, is it?" Muraki bent his head to softly kiss Tsuzuki, parting the smaller man's lips and playing with his tongue, pulling it into his own mouth before releasing it and moving his mouth down to Tsuzuki's jaw line. Tsuzuki leaned back, resting his head on the wet floor, feeling the water run around his body in warm streams. What was the point of resisting? Muraki would get what he wanted eventually. Tsuzuki closed his eyes, not caring any more what the doctor did to him.

* * *

Hisoka was walking down the street of the town where Tsuzuki and Muraki had last been seen. He had developed a severe headache but refused to give up. He lowered his shields once again, closing his eyes and opening himself to the emotions of others. He sifted through the weak feelings, knowing that Tsuzuki would be projecting loud enough to drown out anyone else. Hisoka shuddered. All of these human emotions were meaningless and nothing was helping. He walked a few more blocks forward, probing the air around him. Suddenly he nearly fell over. Despair, hopelessness, need, depression, and anguish saturated the air around him. How could no one else feel this? He threw up a shield after making sure he knew where the feelings were coming from.

He walked over to a secluded alleyway and transported to a large hotel. He tentatively lowered his shield, seeking the depression of his partner and making his way to the elevator, going up to the eighth floor before getting off and walking down the hallway. He stopped in front of the last room, taking a deep breath before placing his hand on the door handle.

An image came streaming into his hand accompanied by a high pitched scream. It was Tsuzuki's face contorted in pain, Muraki leaning over him. Hisoka teleported inside and heard the shower still running. The door to the bathroom was slightly ajar, and Hisoka shoved through it, coming upon a distressing scene. Muraki was leaning over a naked Tsuzuki who was lying limp on the floor of the shower.

"Tsuzuki!" Hisoka stood in the doorway, frozen. Muraki looked up. Tsuzuki opened his eyes and Hisoka gasped at the pain barely hidden beneath the surface of those bright amethyst eyes.

"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki's voice sounded like a question, as if he couldn't quite believe who was standing in front of him. Hisoka slowly walked over to the two men, not caring that his shoes were getting wet in the water pooled on the floor. Muraki sat up and smiled, beginning to say something when Hisoka hit him in the mouth as hard as he could, causing Muraki's head to snap around and hit the wall. Hisoka pulled Tsuzuki out of the shower then went back in and kicked Muraki in the face, red blood mixing with the clear water.

"I don't know what you did to Tsuzuki, and I don't want to know, but this is for all the pain you've caused him." Hisoka put his hands in his pockets and continued kicking the doctor, smiling at the man's pain. Tsuzuki stood up. He walked over to the young teen, mad with fury, and attempted to pull him away.

"Please, stop, Hisoka. You don't want to do this." Hisoka struggled in his partner's arms but was unable to release himself. He turned to face Tsuzuki, looking up into his tired face.

"I don't understand. Why are you protecting him? What does he mean to you?" Hisoka finally succeeded in pulling away and walked out of the room. Tsuzuki looked back at the doctor unconscious in the shower and turned away, following Hisoka out.

"Here. Put some clothes on." Hisoka was holding out the clothes that Tsuzuki had been wearing yesterday, avoiding looking at the older man. Tsuzuki took them and dressed himself. He stared at the blonde sulking by the door.

"Are you done yet? Come on, let's go." Hisoka looked up to catch Tsuzuki's eyes on him and blushed slightly before grabbing his hand and teleporting them back to the ministry. Hisoka walked them up to the office still soaking wet, refusing to let go of Tsuzuki's hand, instead towing the tall man behind him. Tatsumi was seated at a table again, Watari leaning on the back of his chair. They were staring intently at a portable laptop but looked up when Hisoka and Tsuzuki entered the room.

"Tsuzuki!" Watari yelled, throwing himself at his friend nearly knocking him over with his hug. "I'm so glad you're back! Are you okay?" Watari started patting Tsuzuki down, looking for bruises and bumps. Tatsumi stood up as well and silently gave Tsuzuki a hug, quickly letting go and pushing Watari off of him.

Hisoka had been standing off to one side during the reunion, having dropped Tsuzuki's hand when they entered the office. Tatsumi turned to him.

"Why are you wet? Actually, don't tell me. Just go change. We can take Tsuzuki down to the hospital room." Hisoka nodded and walked away, Tsuzuki watching him sadly.

"Come on, you big oaf! Let's get you all checked up." Watari pushed Tsuzuki in front of him down the hall to the medical office and handed him off to the doctors there.

After a thorough check up, the doctors told everyone that Tsuzuki needed sleep above everything else. Tatsumi was still worried however and made Tsuzuki stay the night in one of the beds in the hospital room. He didn't put up any argument, so was settled into a hospital bed with Tatsumi seated next to him.

"Are you really okay?" Tatsumi asked quietly.

Tsuzuki thought about that, then answered, "I will be eventually. You know me! I always get through things." He smiled sadly and Tatsumi stood up.

"I think someone else wants to talk to you, so I'll be leaving now." He left the room, leaving the door open. A minute later, Hisoka trudged through the door. Tsuzuki sat up and smiled.

"What are you looking so happy about?" Hisoka asked, sitting in the chair Tatsumi had just vacated.

"You came to see me. That makes me happy." Hisoka shook his head. After everything, Tsuzuki was happy to see him. Hisoka sat silently for a few moments, trying to form the words in his head. Instead of speaking, he stood up and leaned over Tsuzuki, hugging him tightly. He felt the dark haired man's muscles tighten then relax.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I don't know what I would have done without you." Hisoka pulled away again, realizing that Tsuzuki may not like him invading his personal space. But Tsuzuki didn't let him pull all the way away. Hisoka's eyes widened with hope, and the boy leaned in slowly and kissed Tsuzuki, their lips barely meeting.

"Are you sure everything's all right?" Hisoka paused and questioned his partner. Tsuzuki pulled back so he could see Hisoka's eyes.

"Like I told Tatsumi, I'll be fine with a little time. I don't want you to rush into a relationship with a broken man though. I can't promise you I'll be healed tomorrow or next week. It may take time." Tsuzuki closed his eyes, expecting Hisoka to get off of him, but when Hisoka didn't move, opened his eyes again.

"Really? You're an idiot. I'm not rushing. I've known what I wanted for a long time. It's you, Tsuzuki. I love you." Hisoka leaned down once again and kissed him, this time with more heat. Tsuzuki kissed him back, but felt Hisoka start to pull away.

"What's wrong?" Tsuzuki pouted. Hisoka chuckled at the face his partner made.

"You're exhausted. Tatsumi would kill me if I kept you up all night." Tsuzuki made a noise of protest when Hisoka stood up to leave.

"Please stay, Hisoka. Don't leave me." He closed his eyes, embarrassed to ask his partner to stay with him. Hisoka kicked off his shoes and crawled into bed with Tsuzuki, curling up next to him and smiling.

"No funny business. We are only sleeping, okay?" Tsuzuki nodded his assent and Hisoka felt his breathing begin to even out until he was finally asleep. Tsuzuki tightened his hold on his partner and closed his eyes, happy to be home.

* * *

Haha! Finally finished! Poor Muraki, left all alone and defeated in the shower. I wasn't sure if Tsuzuki should end up with Muraki or Hisoka, but I think Hisoka is just a much better pairing. I hope the ending was okay... I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. I started over twice before I got this plot. Maybe I should write what would have made Tsuzuki stay with Muraki... Thanks everyone for reading, I never would have finished without you all. I'm such a spoiled writer! Two fantastic reviews every time I upload, it just makes me so happy. Thanks!


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